What to expect at your student visa interview?

There are fundamentally three different types of student visas in the US namely F-1, M-1, and the J-1 Visa. You get your visa after a short interview at the consulate or embassy in your country, which will take about 10 minutes if everything is in order. However immigration lawyers (http://immigration.usattorneys.com/) suggest that it is prudent to do your homework before attending the interview.

Interview Scheduling

Consular offices have different procedures for arranging student interviews. You may be asked to arrange an appointment or you may be asked via a phone call to visit the consulate on a specific date and await your turn.

In most embassies and consulates the clerk has the task to ensure that you have all the necessary papers and is the person you will encounter. Therefore, it is prudent to provide the clerk a well-organized file and not a bunch of papers that you have smashing in your pocket for an hour or so. Once the paperwork is in order, you will be asked to meet the immigration officer who will place you under oath and will go through the details of your application.

Do not expect a cozy ambience in the office. Most consulates have bulletproof offices for interviews. The rooms often appear like banks or prisons with very little or no privacy. This is not Disneyland; this is not a warm and fuzzy place.

Moreover, you might have to answer over a microphone that makes your responses audible to everyone in the vicinity. If the application is rejected after the immigration interview, get help from an immigration attorney immediately.

Questions that Consulate officers Ask

After a thorough review of your application the officer will throw a few questions at you. These are usually identical to the questions in the application kit. Since you have written the answers in the application yourself it might not be a problem. In addition, the officer might hand you a book and request you to read it to test your proficiency in English. Immigration lawyers recommend that you never contradict a statement you have made in the application. If you do not remember what you have written just admit that you do not recollect.

If you can answer the questions without having to remember anything that is outstanding as well.

The nature of questioning depends on the interviewer. You might be asked few customary questions or face a lengthy interview session. Listen carefully to the questions before you answer. Do not sound like a robot uttering a few memorized verses. That is not going to go over well with anyone and will probably invite additional questions that they know you cannot have a memorized answer for. 

What are Your Intentions?

Consulates will like to know your plans after you finished your study. They would like to know the addresses of your closest relatives. If they reside in the US then the officer may at first doubt your intention even when you affirm that you will like to return home after your studies.

The important questions asked during an interview are:

• What are your plans after the completion of your course?
• Are you employed somewhere in your home country that you will join after the course(s) have been completed?
• Where is your home?
• Where are your closest family members located?

You must convince the officers that you will come back after you complete your training. Get a letter from your employer or university stating that you will come back to join the organization.
The officer might also at times appear displeased with the answers. Students often find that they focus more on a difficult area and may completely forget to answer the easiest questions with finesse. Therefore you need to speak up and give an explanation. You can also agree to a maintenance bond which will be forfeited if you do not return. If this too fails make sure to seek legal help from an immigration lawyer.